Mental Health Services and Telehealth: What to Know

Telehealth existed for decades in the US but didn’t come into the public spotlight until the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, telehealth has positioned itself as an integral part of health services today. In fact, research demonstrates that the quality of care one receives from a telemental visit is equal to the quality of an in-person visit.

Nevertheless, many Americans underutilize it, and even fewer are aware of telemental or mental health services and treatments possible through telehealth channels.

What is Telehealth?

Telehealth is the use of video calls, phone calls, text messages, and other forms of digital communication by healthcare providers to deliver care and health services to patients from a distance. Examples of telehealth services include:

• primary care checkups
• nutrition counseling
• hypertension care
• diabetes care
• weight management
• mental health treatment

Leading healthcare organizations will provide patients with a personalized portal that centralizes everything from appointment notes to test results in one easy-to-access place. This portal typically allows patients to schedule virtual appointments as well. Some telehealth providers offer their patients 24/7 access to virtual clinicians.    

What is Telemental Care?

Telehealth encompasses various services delivered virtually, like telemental, a subset of telehealth focusing on mental health services. Telemental is also known as telebehavioral (virtual behavioral health treatment) or telepsychiatry. Telemental health services can include:

• one-on-one therapy
• substance abuse counseling
• addiction counseling
• doctor visits for diagnosis and medication treatment
• referrals
• anxiety and depression treatment

The Benefits of Telemental Care

While many worry a doctor or therapist will not be able to perform the same type of assessment via videoconference than in-person, this is simply not the case. Visiting a therapist virtually is just as effective as a face-to-face session. Moreover, telemental offers multiple benefits over traditional methods.

• ‍Privacy: For many individuals (men especially), a barrier to receiving life-saving mental health treatment is embarrassment or shame. Telemental services are private, and the sessions are completely confidential. This increased anonymity reduces fears and stigmatization, making it much easier for people to take that first step in receiving help.‍
• Comfort: Telehealth sessions are often much more comfortable because they occur inside the patient’s home rather than a doctor or therapist’s office. It can be uncomfortable to sit in a waiting room or intimidating to speak to a doctor in person. As such, patients tend to feel a lot more relaxed and at ease in telehealth sessions.‍
• Convenience: The virtual nature of telemental services makes them incredibly convenient for patients who get to connect with mental health care professionals from their own homes. By removing the need for travel, patients don’t need to carve out a chunk of their day to fit an appointment into their schedule, which means taking less time off work and not worrying about childcare.‍
• Greater Accessibility: Those living in rural or remote communities don’t always have access to mental health care services or treatment because of a lack of quality mental health specialists in their area. Likewise, physically disabled individuals have a limited capacity to travel frequently. Telecommunication technology eliminates geographical, physical, and socioeconomic barriers, allowing more people to receive critical mental health services.